Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives

I always forget how unpleasant some of the antiheros were in Victorian era fantasy and science fiction. In my mind I think of the era being full of ladies and gentlemen, but there were plenty of loathsome people too. Looking back on the working conditions and how society treated its poor, perhaps I am just naive. When you think of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you may think that Jekyll was a misunderstood scientist twisted by Mr. Hyde, but in many ways the Doctor is worse than the monster. In Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives, Tim Major has created a sequel to the books that show Jekyll and Hyde in their true light. 

It has been a decade since Dr Jekyll vanished and both London and his ex-fiancée, Muriel, have moved on. Muriel now spends her time investigating corruption in polite society, and she has her eye on a Lord collecting money for a hospital that will never get built. During her investigation she discovers that Jekyll is back in town and is investigating a similar matter. Can the duo put aside old grievances and work together? And can the duo work together when it becomes a trio? 

I do love a Victoria-verse novel, the term I am trying to patent for books set in Victorian times using out of copyright characters from the era. There is a multitude of things that you could do with the likes of Jekyll & Hyde, go in a completely new direction, or do what Major has done and create something that feels like a continuation of the story, but still manages to create its own identity. 

Taking the trappings of the original gives the world an established base. Readers knowledgeable about the text will gain more from the book, but even those with a basic understanding of the characters will be able to follow proceedings. Muriel is the lesser known of the characters and the protagonist for most of the book. This works perfectly as she is a good person to reintroduce the reader into the world some years later. She is a strong-minded person, and it allows us to observe the curious continuation of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 

Major writes about the Victorian era in such an evocative way that just being there is a pleasure. However, the author brings their experience writing Sherlock Holmes novels to write a good mystery too. It has the feel of Sherlock, a macabre crime and shadowy network. The case may feel Sherlockian, but the investigators certainly do not. The dynamic between Muriel and Jekyll/Hyde is vastly different than that of Sherlock and his Watson. Here we see that Jekyll is as prickly and difficult a character as Hyde. In many ways we start to see Hyde as the more humane of the two. 

The story does delve into the twin personalities and how they co-exist. Major intelligently evolves the relationship into one of begrudging co-operation, rather than opposition. The science that split Jekyll is the Urban Fantasy element of the book and plays into the wider narrative. Mad science allows Major the opportunity to play with the narrative, unlike in Sherlock Holmes the creatures that go bump in the night may just be creatures. However, despite how fanciful it is, there is a basis in science. 

Consulting Detectives is necessary for any fan of Victorian based Urban Fantasy. It has a solid mystery, respects the original text, but is also happy to move things on. It is a more serious and proper attempt at continuation, and not just an exploitation of the IP. With this outing working as a clever scene setting, I can imagine several more cases for the Consulting Detectives that will delve deeper into the characters, but also the world of twisted science.